Improved fire-escape



lUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IMPROVED FIRE-ESCAPE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 56,006, dated July 3,1866.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES A. CHAMBERS, of Ogdensburg, in the county ofSt. Lawrence and State of New York, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Ladders known as Fire-Escapes; 7 and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same,reference being had to the annexed drawings, made part of thisspecication, in which- Figure l is a perspective View. Figj2 is adetached section, showing the mode of arranging the springs and catchesfor securing they sections. .EL

The same letters in both figures refer toi; identical parts.

A represents a box as the bed of wagon, Ste., in which the ladders arecarried. To the sides of the box timbers B are attached firmly andstayed by guy-rods B. The door of the box or bed A is formed ofa seriesof rollers, the journals of which are inserted in the sides of the box,which is represented in Fig. l as broken away. On the face of theserollers the sliding frame D is laid7 moving freely from end to end ofthe box. The ladders rest on this frame. The ladder is composed of anumber of sections, E E, hinged together by the hinges L, which areattached alternately on the front and back, so that the ladder maybefolded section on section in the box and on the frame D. The ladders areraised by a winch operating the ruiter-wheels G and G. The shaft of G'passes through t-he timber B, and has on its center the spurwheel H,working in a slot cut for the purpose in the timber B. This spur-wheelis geared into the rackF on the sides of the section E.

K is a brace by which the axle of the Wheel G supported. O O are hooksby which the ing. By turning the winch I the upper section will beraised, the second and third sections being more or less raised, and theframe D slid on the rollers to conform to the movement of the sections.When the foot of the first section has passed the flanges P (of whichthere are'four on the edge of the timbers B) in front and rear, thesecond one, followin these anges, forces it at once to assume directionin line with the first, the frame D yielding easily to the movement.

M is a catch,shaped as shown in Fig. 2, actuated by a spring, whichforces the notched a. Kend over a pin, N, passing through the base ofthe next section above, as shown. rllhis catch secures the ladders andprevents their falling over. Thus the several sections similarlyconstructed are successively elevated. They are lowered by reversedmeans.

Having fully explained the construction and operation of my improvedtire-escape, what I claim as my invention, and seek to secure by LettersPatent, is-

l. The combination of the rollers C, sectional ladder E, hinged asdescribed, and sliding frame D, substantially as and for the pur poseset forth.

2. The supports B, with the flanges l?, in .combination with thesectional ladder E and the gearing for elevating the same, the partsbeing severally constructed and arranged for use substantially as andfor the purpose set forth. A

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this spccication in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

J. A. CHAMBERS.

top of the ladders may be secured to the build- D. P. HoLLowAY.

